WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project
JUNE 2001 FRESH SHEET

This is the first issue of the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project Fresh Sheet, a regular update of project activities. The fresh sheet is available via e-mail and the project web site, http://wria1project.wsu.edu. If you're a newcomer to the project, please visit the web site for background information.

Over the past few months, key project activities have included:

• Determining the key questions that will guide the development of the Decision Support System (DSS)
• Identifying sites where additional studies, called Early Data Needs (EDNs), need to begin soon
• Reviewing Phase II technical products from Utah State University
• Taking initial steps toward the Watershed Management Plan

Decision Support System Worksheets

The Decision Support System is a series of computer models that will use scientific data to predict what might happen under different water policies. The DSS will help the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project answer questions about water allocation, water quality, land use, and fish habitat protection and restoration.

The DSS worksheets are a list of water and land issues and possible solutions, brainstormed by each WRIA 1 caucus and Initiating Government, that will be used to decide what areas need more research during Phase III of the project (that is, the next two years of the project), and what scenarios the DSS should include.

Some topics raised by the DSS worksheets are:

• Hydraulic continuity-the relationship between surface and ground water-which influences how wells in an aquifer affect flow and water quality in an associated stream, and vice versa
• Managing land uses and protecting drinking water to reduce nitrates, bacteria from sewage and animal waste, and pesticides
• Managing land uses to provide enough water for people and fish including threatened species.

Contact your caucus to see if your issues were included. A list of caucuses and contacts is available at http://wria1project.wsu.edu/about/caucuses/caucuses.htm.

Studies to Look at Early Data Needs

In reviewing last year's technical work and the DSS worksheets, Utah State University and the various Technical Teams have identified data gaps, and technical studies to fill those gaps, that will be crucial to meeting the overall goals and objectives of the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project. These further studies will be spelled out as the technical, or scientific, scope for Phase III is developed.

Since the Phase III scope will not be developed until this fall, USU, the staff team, and the WRIA 1 technical teams have identified eight immediate studies called Early Data Needs. The EDNs are activities that need to be conducted or started in the summer of 2001. For example, some of the EDNs must be done during low stream flows; others are the first steps of long-term studies.

Examples of the EDNs are:

• Collecting data at three pilot sites to study hydraulic continuity. The study will examine the relationship between three streams and nearby wells during drought conditions. Measurements will include stream flows, well water levels, and water quality.
• Collecting data at FY 2001 instream flow field sites. There are nine sites where intensive sampling will take place, and five rapid assessment sites. The rapid assessment method is being evaluated as a cost-effective way to study instream flows at more sites.

Draft Phase II Reports Are In

Utah State University, the project's technical consultant, has delivered drafts of the following Phase II reports:

• Geodatabase Management System
• Decision Support System
• Nitrogen and Pesticide Contamination in Groundwater
• Groundwater Quantity
• Habitat Suitability Criteria Workshop
• Watershed Stratification
• Technical Evaluation of FY 2000 Field Season
• Surface Water Quality Data Collection and Assessment
• Assessment of Streamflow and Climatological Data
• Estimation of Long-Term Mean Monthly Runoff for Water Balance Calculations
• Estimation of Surface Water Components on the WRIA 1 Water Balance
• Review and Comparison of Hydrologic and Water Management Models for Use in WRIA 1

The technical teams are reviewing the reports, with final versions expected this fall.

Initial Steps toward the Watershed Management Plan

Technical assessment work is being done to give the Project better information on which to base decisions. The Project is now starting to consider how to pull together new and existing data into management options that can be considered by the Planning Unit and the Joint Board. Eventually, the management options that the Planning Unit and Joint Board will pursue will be organized into the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Plan.

Members of the staff team (staff from local and state government agencies) are also developing a proposal for environmental review of the Watershed Management Plan. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is an important companion piece to any resource management plan because it considers the social and environmental impacts of the plan's implementation.

The staff team recommends hiring a consultant to manage the development of the Watershed Management Plan (including assistance with identifying and screening management options) and the EIS, as well as performing some socioeconomic analysis and public involvement activities. The Planning Unit approved this proposal at its June meeting.

What's Ahead

The next major task for the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project will be developing the scope of work for Phase III. Phase III technical work will build on the studies done in Phase II, and will also collect other information needed to answer questions posed by the DSS worksheets. There will be a public meeting this fall to discuss the technical work that will be done in Phase III. This meeting will also kick off the environmental review process.

The WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project brings together citizens, local governments, tribes, and state and federal agencies to develop plans for allocating water, protecting water quality, and ensuring quality fish habitat. This fresh sheet is issued monthly and provides a brief update of project activities. To join the mailing list, contact Scarlet Tang at 676-6736 or e-mail scarlet@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu.

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